“There is, to be sure, one glaringly obvious ground for
denying that any moral purpose at all is operative in
the universe: namely, the actual course of events in all
its wasteful cruelty and apparent indifference, or
hostility, to life.”
 Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your
heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Walk in the
ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes. But know
that for all these things God will bring you into
judgment. 10 Remove vexation from your heart, and put
away pain from your body, for youth and the dawn of
life are vanity. (Ecc 11:9-10 ESV)
 Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth,
before the evil days come and the years draw near of
which you will say, "I have no pleasure in them"; (Ecc
12:1 ESV)
 “Find” which has the nuance, “to find by research. And
a recurring theme in the book is the impossibility of
“finding out the meaning of it all” by research (3:11;
7:14, 24; 8:17
17
then I saw all the work of God, that man cannot find
out the work that is done under the sun. However
much man may toil in seeking, he will not find it out.
Even though a wise man claims to know, he cannot
find it out. (Ecclesiastes 8:17 ESV)
11
He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he
has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot
find out what God has done from the beginning to the
end. (Ecc 3:11 ESV)
14
In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of
adversity consider: God has made the one as well as
the other, so that man may not find out anything that
will be after him. (Ecc 7:14 ESV)
As you do not know the way the spirit comes to the
bones in the womb of a woman with child, so you do
not know the work of God who makes everything. (Ecc
11:5 ESV)
“Understanding it all is not a
precondition for faithful
obedience”
Dr. C. John Collins
 12 I perceived that there is nothing better for them than
to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; 13 also
that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure
in all his toil--this is God's gift to man. (Ecclesiastes
3:12-13 ESV)
 17 I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and
the wicked, for there is a time for every matter and for
every work. (Ecclesiastes 3:17 ESV)
 Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a
merry heart, for God has already approved what you
do. 8 Let your garments be always white. Let not oil be
lacking on your head. 9 Enjoy life with the wife whom
you love, all the days of your vain life that he has given
you under the sun, because that is your portion in life
and in your toil at which you toil under the sun.10
Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your
might… (Ecc 9:7-10 ESV)

13
The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God
and keep his commandments, for this is the whole
duty of man. 14 For God will bring every deed into
judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or
evil. (Ecc 12:13-14 ESV)
 He is the God who made the “wondrously complex
world order.”
 Who accomplished the great redemption from Egypt.
 Who later accomplished an even greater redemption
from sin and Satan through Christ.
 So we know that all he does is well, even if for the
moment he hides his hand.
 6 Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal
upon your arm, for love is strong as death,
jealousy is fierce as the grave. Its flashes are
flashes of fire, the very flame of the LORD. 7
Many waters cannot quench love, neither
can floods drown it. If a man offered for love
all the wealth of his house, he would be
utterly despised. (Song of Songs 8:6-7 ESV)
 “The Song of Solomon has in fact been subject to a
broader range of interpretation probably than any
other book in the Bible.”
ESV Study Bible, 1211
 Coherence:
 one follows a single love story from initial longing right
through to the marital enjoyment
 The characters have consistent patterns in how they
speak to and about one another.
 Characters:
 Young woman
 The shepherd whom she loves
 King Solomon
 Chorus-like group
 Consummation:
 3:1-6:3 is a dream in anticipation of the marriage and its
consummation. Therefore on this understanding 5:2-8 is
part of the dream (“I slept, but my heart was awake,” 5:2)
and chapter 7 is an eager anticipation of the enjoyment
the couple will have once they are married (in ch. 8).
 The fact that Song of Songs is in the canon of Scripture
and the fact that this view harmonizes with Proverbs
5:15-19 in commending sexual delight within marriage,
lends further support to the conclusion that
consummation occurs only after the couple is married
 Occurs in 8:5: contrast the shepherd being “awakened
under the apple tree” with the refrain to not “stir up or
awaken love until it pleases”
ESV Study Bible, 1212
 Extended picture of the love between Israel’s God and
his people, and then between Christ and his bride
(either the church or the individual soul).
 Limitation: it runs the risk of diminishing the wisdom
character of the song and it’s endorsement of God’s
good work of creation as evidenced in marital love.
ESV Study Bible, 1214
 The Song is really a collection of multiple songs, an
anthology or collection. They are a celebration of the
intimate love between a man and a woman – a
celebration of love’s longing, ecstasy, joy, beauty, and
exclusivity.
 Limitation: it rejects the idea that the book contains a
narrative plot.
ESV Study Bible 1214
 Young woman and shepherd boy are two simple
country folk in love, and King Solomon seeks to win
the woman’s consent to become part of his harem.
 The woman resists all his flattery and returns home to
marry the shepherd.
 Limitation: It does supply any way for the reader to
know when the shepherd speaks and when Solomon
does. Also, why would the book be dedicated to
Solomon if he was the intruder in the story who was
rejected?
ESV Study Bible 1214